Following the Money

Why it Matters

Financial disclosures are increasingly complex, and corporate risk is often buried within legalese or engineered structures. Traditional finance training tends to focus on theory or superficial metrics; this course teaches investigative discipline and critical skepticism that goes beyond textbooks. By learning to identify early warning signs of distress - such as hidden debt, over-reliance on refinancing, and concealment practices - you gain a competitive edge in due diligence, credit analysis, investment evaluation, risk management, or corporate research roles.

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Course Overview

Following the Money is a 3-hour, self-paced online course with 12 months of access. Through a combination of case studies, practical exercises, and expert guidance, you’ll gain the skills to detect financial stress, interpret corporate disclosures, and conduct effective investigative research. The course is structured around four core modules:

Identifying Financial Red Flags

Learn to recognize subtle cues and early warning signs that often precede major corporate failures:

• Hidden Debt – Uncover debt created through financial instruments like factoring, supplier finance, and margin loans.
• The Refinancing Trap – Spot persistent refinancing and over-reliance on short-term funding, the true drivers of default.
• Aggressive Concealment – Identify acquisition activity and unexplained “cash-yet-borrowing” behavior that mask true leverage.

Applied Financial Literacy

Even without formal finance training, you’ll develop the ability to:

• Ask key questions about liquidity, leverage, and off-balance-sheet exposure.
• Understand why the inability to refinance—not just profit or loss—drives defaults.
• Appreciate how structures like receivables factoring affect true leverage.

Communication and Interview Techniques

Master the investigative skills needed for due diligence and challenging interviews:

• Asking the Right Questions – Learn to phrase questions critically but respectfully, such as “Where does the risk lie?” and “How is that reflected in your accounts?”
• Managing the Dynamic – Discover when to appear knowledgeable versus uninformed to elicit information effectively.
• Handling Sources – Develop techniques for cultivating tips, corroborating information with documents, and framing sensitive conversations.

Critical Thinking and Skepticism

Develop the mindset of a financial investigator:

• Interrogate the Numbers – Stop taking financial statements or corporate presentations at face value.
• Pattern Recognition – Recognize that corporate collapse is rarely sudden; it follows predictable patterns of over-leverage, opacity, and complacency.

Each module combines actionable frameworks with real-world examples, giving you the tools to apply your learning immediately—whether analyzing a company, preparing for due diligence, or conducting investigative research.

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What You’ll Take Away

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Detect early warning signs of corporate financial distress.
• Interpret complex financial disclosures with confidence.
• Assess hidden leverage and structural risk.
• Conduct disciplined document reviews and investigative interviews.
• Apply critical thinking frameworks to financial and corporate research tasks.

Who the Course is For

This course is designed for professionals who want to develop a sharper investigative eye for corporate and financial risk. Whether you are a financial analyst, journalist, investor, auditor, or executive, you will gain the tools to see through the numbers, uncover hidden patterns, and make more informed decisions. No prior finance background is required—just curiosity and a willingness to think critically.

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